The Adolescence Alternative
by NerdForestGirl
Summary: In an alternative universe, Sheldon and Amy are students at the same high school. They don't exactly hit it off right away, but once they give each other a chance, they realize that they could be great friends. Originally posted on Tumblr in September of 2017.
1. Chapter 1

Sheldon didn't want to go on a date with Sarah. He didn't want to go on a date Victoria. He didn't really want to go on a date with Rebecca. Even before his brother, Georgie, broke Rebecca's heart, Sheldon wouldn't have gone out with her. Really, Sheldon didn't want to go on a date with any of the girls him mama was trying to set him up with.

"I have a girlfriend," he blurted out when Mama was trying to talk him into the virtues of Sarah. Apparently she could make a great pecan pie. As if that was a completely reasonable foundation on which to base a relationship.

"A girlfriend? Who? Why didn't you say anything? You should bring her to dinner so we can meet her," his mother said.

Sheldon didn't know what to say. He didn't actually have a girlfriend. He wasn't his brother. Girls didn't interest him. Boys didn't interest him either, even if the football players did call him a mean name that implied that they did. No one interested him.

"Her name is Amy," Sheldon muttered. She was the only girl he could think of off the top of his head who wasn't his sister. She was recently assigned to be his lab partner, but he didn't know much about her. She was mostly quiet and let him work on the experiments. That was fine with him. At least she didn't get in the way.

"I'm not ready for her to come to dinner," Sheldon muttered.

"Amy? Amy who? Do I know her mama?"

"Her name is Amy Fowler. I doubt you know her parents. She just moved here," Sheldon explained. He hoped that his mother didn't ask any other questions because he had already told her everything he knew about her. Beyond this, he would need to start making things up, and he wasn't particularly good at that.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Mama dropped the subject. He knew this wasn't going to be the end of it, but at least it ended for now. If only he knew what he started by uttering those four words.

Sheldon's mother wasn't sure why she worried so much for her Sheldon. She just wanted him to be happy, and it seemed like he wasn't doing much to help himself. The other kids had friends and played on teams and joined clubs. They went on dates. Her Sheldon just stayed home all the time: reading, studying, playing video games. She had taken him to someone to see if he was depressed, but the doctor said he was just fine. He just had different interests from the other boys.

Mama still thought she should try to find her boy a nice girl to spend his time with. A girl with hometown roots who would keep him grounded even after he went off to go do whatever it was he dreamed of doing. At least it sounded like he was finally making friends. Still, Mama decided to mention this development to her daughter, Missy, so that she could see if she knew anything about this Amy.

"No, Mama. Amy? Are you sure he said Amy? I don't think there's even a girl named Amy in our whole class," Missy told her mother that night when Mama got Missy alone.

"It isn't like that boy to lie to me," Mama said.

"He would if he's trying to get you to stop setting him up with girls from church," Missy commented.

"Hmm," Mama said. She wondered if she was pushing Sheldon too hard if he was inventing girls. She decided to talk to him about it later. Maybe a different course would be needed. Shelly was a special boy after all.

Sheldon didn't know about his mother's change of heart, so he decided that he better get to know Amy better if he wanted to keep dropping information about the girl. He walked into the biology lab and took his seat next to Amy. She was reading a book, and he peeked over her shoulder to see what it was.

" _Hamlet_?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes," Amy said shortly. It was the first time Sheldon had ever spoken to her for a reason that wasn't him telling her what to do for whatever lab work they were doing. He thought he was so smart. Well, he clearly was, but she still hated him. He was so smug and she always clenched her fist as to not punch him whenever he spoke. He always cut her off when she tried to explain a biological principle. She stopped trying. It was only a couple more months until the end of the school year, and if she had any luck, her father would be transferred again and she would be off to her fifth high school before the start of her senior year.

"My favorite Shakespeare play is _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. I don't like the tragedies. Too woe is me," Sheldon commented.

"But _A Midsummer Night's Dream_?" Amy asked despite herself.

"It's whimsical. There are fairies. It's better than ghosts and suicide," Sheldon countered.

"It's all about love."

"I can like love. I don't want it myself, but it's funny to watch others try to traverse it," Sheldon countered.

"Fair enough," Amy admitted. That was actually pretty close to how she felt about it. She was only reading _Hamlet_ again because she had a test on it and it had been a few years since she read it. She went back to reading her book. The conversation was clearly over. Or at least she wanted it to be.

"So, what's your favorite play? Is it _Hamlet_?" Sheldon asked. He hated having to ask all of these questions, but he still didn't know much about the girl sitting next to him. Instead he ended up tell her about him. He suddenly wished he had the slightest idea how to do small talk. It had never seemed valuable before this moment.

"I don't really like Shakespeare all that much," Amy admitted.

Sheldon was about to ask her to finally give him an answer when the bell rang and class started. He didn't have a chance to find out any more about the girl.

During their lab, Amy worked hard on their experiment just as he did, but they didn't speak about anything personal again. Sheldon looked at her write up. It was filled with tiny neat writing that was even more extensive than his own. How could she write so much about a something as boring as biology? He always assumed that she just jotted down whatever he told her to write. That's what everyone did in all of his classes. He knew that his classmates didn't like working with him, but they always knew he was right.

Amy left as soon as the bell rang without so much as a goodbye. Sheldon sighed because he didn't learn anything about Amy. If his mom pushed him for information, he wasn't going to have anything.

Sheldon planned to try again the next day. He was going to learn one thing about Amy Fowler and then he was going mention it to his mother. Then in a few weeks he was going to tell his mother than he had broken up with the girl and was far too heartbroken to date again for the rest of high school. It was brilliant plan to get him to college.

Though when he got home, his mother was waiting for him with a snack. Sheldon wanted to groan when he saw her there. She was probably waiting to ask him more about Amy. Sheldon tried to remember what he knew about her. She smelled like cherry blossoms. She had long, shiny brown hair. She wore glasses. She was kind. She didn't like Shakespeare. Maybe he could make something out of that.

"Missy told me the truth about Amy," Mama said as he sat down.

"What truth about Amy?" Sheldon wondered what his sister might know about his lab partner. She couldn't possibly know that she wasn't really Sheldon's girlfriend. Missy never knew anything about his life, and Amy just got to their school. Sheldon could just say that it was new.

"That there is no Amy. I just wanted to help you be happy. You didn't need to make up a girl."

"She's not strictly my girlfriend, but she is real. We talked about Shakespeare today," Sheldon offered. He couldn't believe that his sister said Amy wasn't real. Amy was a real head turner even if she was new. How had Missy never noticed her? Even if she wasn't Sheldon's lab partner, he was sure he would have noticed her. That long, brown hair would have gotten his attention from a hundred meters. Not that he thought she was that pretty or anything. At least that's what he told himself.

"You don't need to lie to me. I won't push the girl thing anymore," Mama promised.

"I appreciate that, but Amy is my friend. She's a real girl," Sheldon muttered. He didn't need to make the girl his girlfriend anymore, but now he wanted to prove to his mother than he wasn't making anyone up.

That meant that the next day, Sheldon was going to find something out about Amy Fowler to prove to his family that she was real. He might even actually try to do something he had never done before: make a friend.

When Sheldon walked into his biology class, Amy was sitting there reading. He realized that she always read before class started. He never saw her talking to anyone or doodling in her notebook. She only ever read. It wasn't _Hamlet_ today.

"What are you reading?" Sheldon asked.

Amy didn't speak as she lifted the book to show him the cover of _Mansfield Park_. Then she set it back down and started to read again. She had no idea why Sheldon was talking to her again, and she really wished he would go back to ignoring her.

"Jane Austen?"

"Mm-hmm," Amy confirmed without actually saying anything. She hated when people tried to speak to her while she was reading. It was one of her few actual pleasures, and she took it where she could.

"So, you're an Austen girl?" Sheldon asked.

"What does that mean?" Amy asked as she finally looked up from her book.

"It's just that you were mocking me yesterday for enjoying _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ , and you read Austen. Austen girls are always romantics," Sheldon pointed out.

"'Austen girls' as you say don't have to live up to any of your standards, Sheldon Cooper. And also, have you ever even read _Mansfield Park_? It's so much more than that. Fanny's story is one about class struggle and about finding one's place. It isn't just romance. I bet you haven't read any of Austen's work beyond _Pride and Prejudice_ ," she argued.

"I've never read _Pride and Prejudice_ ," he admitted.

"Then, who are you to judge anyone who enjoys it?" Amy snapped. She then started reading again as if to tell him to shut the hell up. The bell rang and class started.

Sheldon still didn't get any real information from her. He couldn't tell if she even actually liked the book she was reading. Maybe she didn't. She certainly seemed angry enough as to not indicate pleasure in the activity. Still, Sheldon decided to stop by the library on his way home. Maybe he would understand what she was talking about if he read the book.

On Sheldon's way home, he stopped by the library. He checked out both _Pride and Prejudice_ and _Mansfield Park_. After he finished his homework, he started into _Pride and Prejudice_. He only finished half of it by midnight, but it was better than he anticipated.

When Sheldon got to biology class the next day, he didn't try to engage Amy in conversation, to which she was relieved. Instead he just pulled out the copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and started to read next to her.

"Are you making fun of me?" Amy asked. She didn't care if Sheldon thought she was a nerd. The friends in books were the only ones that really stayed with her while she moved from place to place. But who was he to judge her?

"How would I be making fun of you?" Sheldon asked. He never made fun of people, and when he attempted, it was never subtle. His jokes always ended with a "gotcha" or a "just foolin'." He wasn't sure how sitting next to her reading the book she recommended was even close to making fun.

"You are reading Jane Austen," Amy pointed out.

"Yes. You told me I should read it because I did not understand. I have to say that it's actually pretty good," he admitted with a little grin.

"It is," Amy told him with a smile. It was the first time she smiled at him, and Sheldon noticed that she had nice teeth. She was very pretty, and again, he wondered why she wasn't friends with all of the popular girls.

He was about to ask her about it when he started sneezing. This old library book must be full of dust.

Amy moved her chair over by a couple feet and didn't speak to him again. In all honesty, Sheldon didn't blame her. He would have done the same thing.


	2. Chapter 2

By the end of the day, Sheldon realized it wasn't the book that made him sneeze. He was getting sick. It wasn't uncommon for him to get sick a few times a year. His immune system wasn't very strong, so he informed his mother that he was ill and went to bed as soon as he got home that afternoon. She brought him some soup for dinner and felt his forehead.

"You are running a fever. You better stay home tomorrow," Mama told him.

Sheldon nodded.

Mama picked up the copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and looked it over. She was curious about his choice of reading material. Usually when Sheldon was sick, he reread novelizations of _Star Trek_ or _The Hobbit_. Those things were comforting to him.

"For school?"

"No. Amy recommended it to me. It's better than I thought it would be. I'm almost done with it," Sheldon told her.

His mother sighed. He sure was going to a lot of trouble to prove that this girl was supposedly real. She decided not to argue with it. "Enjoy Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy," she said before kissing him on top of his head and leaving him. He made a complaining noise as he rubbed his forehead where his mother kissed him. All it did was smudge the lipstick left behind.

Sheldon smiled to himself as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth circled each other. This silliness was exactly what he loved about these kinds of stories. He didn't care for love for himself. Who had the time when one wanted to win a Nobel before thirty? Still, he was a bit of a secret romantic at heart. When he finished the book, he closed it and lie down to sleep. He dreamt of being an aloof landowner and Amy being a spirited young woman he was hopelessly in love with.

Sheldon spent his whole sick day reading _Mansfield Park_. Amy was right. It wasn't just about romance. It was about betrayal and class. It was also much more interesting than he believed it would be. By the time he finished the book, he couldn't wait to get back to talk to Amy about it. He wondered if this was what having a real friend was like. Maybe this was why his sister went to school even though she hated all of her classes.

When Sheldon was getting ready for school the next day, he decided to pick up his much abused copy of _The Hobbit_. He shoved it into his bag on his way out.

In biology, Sheldon took his place next to Amy. She was reading like she always did, but she did look up at him and nodded when he took his seat.

"I finished _Mansfield Park_ last night. I was sick," Sheldon explained.

"Do you want to borrow my notes from yesterday?" Amy asked. She had been surprisingly disappointed when Sheldon wasn't in class the day before. They weren't friends, but his constant bothering her about the book she was reading was almost endearing now.

Sheldon had never borrowed notes from anyone other than a teacher. It was never worth his time to look through another student's work. That was if anyone would even give them over. Sheldon was used to just reading the assigned chapters from when he missed class.

"Uh. Sure," Sheldon said in just utter surprise at her offer. He was sure he wouldn't use them, but he liked that she even offered. No one offered.

Amy handed over her page of notes from the day before. "Please return it undamaged tomorrow."

"Sure." Sheldon scanned it and saw a full page of tiny, neat writing. It was full of not just what the Mr. Davisson said, but also Amy's own insights. Sheldon had never once needed or wanted a tutor, but if he ever needed help in biology, he knew where to go. She possibly understood it more than he did. He decided that he would copy it down. Just in case.

"What did you think of _Mansfield Park_?"

"It was good. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would," Sheldon admitted as he looked back up from her meticulous notes. "Oh. Since you showed me your favorite book. I brought you mine."

"My favorite book? What do you think is my favorite book?" Amy asked. She was sure that she had never even spoken to Sheldon about _The Canterbury Tales_. Her beloved copy was still packed in a box somewhere.

" _Pride and Prejudice_?" Sheldon said now unsure as he slid _The Hobbit_ over to Amy.

"That isn't my favorite book." Amy inspected the well worn copy of _The Hobbit_. She saw that it was about wizards and dwarves. She was about the hand it back when she saw the hopeful look in Sheldon's eye. The book had to be loved because it was dogeared and a little tattered while belonging to one of the most careful boys she had ever met. As much as she didn't really like the boy in front of her, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She thanked him and put the book into her bag before class started.

Later that day at lunch, Sheldon was in his usual seat down the table from a few guys he knew from Math Olympics. They weren't bad guys, but Sheldon never actually sat with them. They left him alone for the most part, and he didn't bother them. Other than Amy, they were the closest thing he had to friends.

Speaking of Amy, she suddenly appeared and sat across from him.

"Don't say anything. I just needed a place to eat," Amy warned before he could even make a sound.

"You don't have lunch this hour?"

"Of course I do. I normally go to the library to eat, but Mr. Smith is out today. The sub wouldn't let me stay. Just let me eat," Amy assured him. She wouldn't have chosen to eat with Sheldon Cooper, but he was the only person she knew at this lunch hour. Plus he seemed to like her enough to lend her his favorite book. Tomorrow she would go back to the library.

Sheldon shrugged and started into his own sandwich without so much as another word. That was until the guys whom he knew from Math Olympics who shared the table with him started asking questions. They had never seen Sheldon eat lunch with another person.

"Girlfriend, Sheldon?" Howard asked.

"No," Amy answered for him. "I don't know him."

"You can come sit with us," Stuart offered. He wasn't actually on the team with the other guys, but he didn't have other friends. He was also the only one of the guys who didn't have a girlfriend. Well, Raj didn't have a girlfriend, but Sheldon suspected that he didn't want one because he usually didn't shut up about his friend Lincoln, who was a very handsome basketball player. Even Sheldon could see that there was something bigger going on there.

"No," Sheldon refused on Amy's behalf.

"I can sit where I like, Sheldon," Amy snapped. She stood up and went to sit next to Stuart. Sheldon felt a pang of what he could only assume was jealousy. That didn't make any sense, but he wanted to punch Stuart right in his jaw. He flexed his fist, but then he just stared at his sandwich. He didn't want a girlfriend. He was above that. He supposed he was just jealous because he thought that Amy was his friend. Well, not friend, but friendly. Then she just went to go have lunch with another boy. Wasn't she his?

"Do you want to come over?" Sheldon blurted suddenly across the table. He was staring right into Amy's eyes. There was no question as to whom he was speaking.

"Come over where?" Amy asked. Did he want her to come back over to his side of the table?

"My house. After school. We could study together," Sheldon clarified.

"Why would I come over to your house?"

"Because you are my best friend."

"Your best friend? We barely know each other and I kind of hate you," Amy answered bluntly. It was true that Sheldon was the only person she talked to most days, but that didn't mean they were friends.

"It's the 'kind of' that makes you my best friend," he countered with a slightly crooked smile. He was aware that he wasn't the most popular guy, but he wore it as a badge of honor instead of being bothered by it like Amy was. For whatever reason, he was reaching out to her. She thought about it for a moment and decided to reach back. This was the boy who read the books she suggested and handed over a much beloved object without asking anything in return. She supposed they were friends despite her best efforts.

"Fine. Meet me at the bike racks at three," she muttered.

Sheldon nodded and left to get to English.

Sheldon met Amy right where she suggested after school.

"Hi. Your friends said you are good at calculus. I hate to do this because I don't usually need any help with anything, but could you maybe tutor me a little?" Amy asked when she saw him standing there. She had gotten a lot of background from Sheldon's other friends.

"They aren't my friends, but I would be happy to help you," Sheldon agreed. He knew that even if he needed to actually explain something to Amy, it wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't one of the idiots who went to their school. He learned over the last few days that she was very bright. Maybe even near his own intelligence.

"I could return the favor. I don't think you need any help in biology, but English? French? American Government?" Amy offered.

"French?" Sheldon asked.

"You need help in French? I can do that. I'm great at French. I spent six months in France last year, and while that wasn't enough for me to be perfect, I can certainly help you get through a high school class. I aced the AP French test last year," Amy offered.

"Oh. No. I am learning Mandarin," Sheldon explained.

"Oh," Amy returned sadly. She hated admitting any weakness to anyone. She really hated admitting it to someone like Sheldon. This boy was brilliant at everything he did. Of course he didn't need any help.

"Maybe you could teach me a little anyway," Sheldon suggested. Languages were not his strong suit, and he always thought that they were one of the few things he couldn't just learn from a book.

"Sure," Amy agreed. "Are those guys really not your friends? They seemed nice enough, and that guy Leonard seemed to know a fair amount about you," Amy asked as she bent down to unlock her bike.

"They don't like me. No one does," Sheldon admitted. This time he wasn't really bragging about it the way he had in the cafeteria.

"I don't think that's true. I think that they would talk to you if you sat with them. They are pretty nice," Amy told him. They were nicer to her than anyone else had been since she got to this school. She promised that she would sit with them again the next day.

Sheldon shrugged, and they both let the subject drop. Sheldon took the handlebars of Amy's bike to wheel it to his house for her. He was strictly a walker to and from school. Missy had been hinting about a car, but Sheldon was sure if she got one, he would still walk. He couldn't imagine that he would ever feel safe in a car with his sister.

"My mom will probably be home. She works part time at our church, but she's almost always home on Thursday afternoons. I'm sure she will question you about your parents and where you go to church. I apologize in advance for that."

"I don't go to church. We aren't usually anywhere long enough to see the point in joining a community," Amy admitted. She wasn't sure how she personally felt about religion. She read enough about various faiths, but none seemed to hold the answers she was looking for.

"How many times have you moved?" Sheldon asked. He had lived here all of his life. He wondered what it would be like to travel the world.

"Fourteen times. This is my fourth high school. My parents are trying to let me stay here for my senior year even if Dad gets transferred again. I'd rather not. Maybe we can move back to Lyon if I'm meant to just live in one place for a while. I miss France," Amy admitted.

"You could stay here. You have friends here," Sheldon told her. He really meant that she was his friend. He hated the idea of her leaving town again. Even if they had only been speaking for about a week. He wasn't lying about her being his best friend. Well, perhaps his grandmother was his best friend, but Amy was second.

"Don't tell my parents that," Amy joked, but she liked that Sheldon seemed to want her to stay. Maybe she didn't exactly hate him. She was going to his house after all.

The pair quietly walked the rest of the way to Sheldon's house. Sheldon put Amy's bike in the shed next to his house so his dad wouldn't run it over when he got home from work. Then he led her to his door. He had never once had a friend over to his house, so he wasn't sure what to do now.

"Mama, I'm home," Sheldon called. Amy smiled that the boy called his mother "Mama."

"Hey, Shelly," Mama stopped short and her jaw nearly dropped when she saw Sheldon standing in the doorway with a girl.

"Hello, Mrs. Cooper," Amy muttered.

"Mama, this is my friend, Amy Fowler," Sheldon introduced. He would have gloated to his mother that the girl was, in fact, real if not for the fact that he did not want to reveal to Amy that his mother thought it wasn't possible for him to make friends.

"It's so strange when people don't include my middle name," Amy muttered. It was the first time Sheldon had called her by her full name.

"What?" Sheldon asked.

"At home, I'm Amy Farrah Fowler. My mother is also Amy, so everyone includes my middle name when speaking to or about me at home. Only teachers usually call me Amy Fowler."

"Oh. Mama, this is Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon corrected himself automatically.

"It's nice to meet you, Amy Farrah Fowler," Mrs. Cooper said as she reached out to shake the girl's hand. "Can I get you something to eat?"

Amy was about to refuse when Sheldon said that he was starving. He started taking off his windbreaker and took Amy's jacket to hang on the hook next to his. Then he followed his mother into the kitchen while urging Amy to follow.

Mrs. Cooper practically fixed them an entire feast. She put out trays of cheese and crackers, a pitcher of sweet tea, a plate of fruit.

"Anything you'd like, dear?" Mrs. Cooper asked Amy as she inspected the fridge.

"Anything is fine. I'm allergic to avocados though," Amy said quietly. She didn't want to be a bother.

"Alright. I'll make sure to keep that in mind when I'm fixing dinner. You're staying for dinner, right?" Mary asked cheerfully.

"I'll have to call my mother," Amy said. She actually realized that she needed to check in anyway because Mother would be worried about Amy not coming home right after school.

"Phone's right there," Mrs. Cooper told Amy.

Amy called her mother, but she was embarrassed that Mother asked to speak to Mrs. Cooper. Amy handed over the phone to prove that she was still under the observation of an adult. She expected Mother to only speak to Mrs. Cooper for a moment, but the women started chatting about a number of things. Amy shrugged at Sheldon and he just used his head to indicate that Amy should join him at the table where he had already eaten a surprising amount of the food his mother provided.

Amy picked at the plate of fruit and cheese. Sheldon poured her a glass of sweet tea and pushed it at her before he set to work on calculus.

"You understand this," Sheldon said as he finished helping Amy go over a third set. He didn't think she needed his assistance, and he wondered if she chose to ask for help just to have an excuse to hang out. Not that he could blame her.

"I always think I do, but I only received a 85% on my last exam," Amy admitted. It was the only class where she did not currently have an A.

"Hmm. Perhaps it's a lack of confidence," Sheldon suggested. He found that he liked Amy even more now that he knew how smart she was. Even where she felt she needed work, it seemed that she was exceptionally bright. He had not done poorly when he picked a fake girlfriend. If he was a different kind of person, he might even want her to be his real girlfriend. That was completely hypothetical, of course, Sheldon thought as he tried to suss out her eye color.

"Your mama says it's just fine if you stay for dinner, but she is going to come pick you up right at seven," Sheldon's mother told Amy while Sheldon showed Amy how to play a card game she had never heard of before. The pair of teenagers had given up on studying pretty quickly because Sheldon didn't usually have friends over. He could study whenever. He could only play this game if he bribed his brother or sister to join him.

Mystic Lords of Ka'a was not something that Amy had ever heard of before, but once she got the hang of it, she put down three winning hands in a row. After that Sheldon decided to redirect them to video games until dinner was ready.

Sheldon's parents didn't act as if it was so strange for Sheldon to have a little friend over. The other two kids had friends over for dinner all the time. Sheldon, not so much. They didn't want to scare her off. Georgie didn't get the memo.

"Is this your girlfriend, nerd?" Georgie asked as he helped himself to what Amy thought was an outrageous amount of food. There was no way he could possibly finish, right? And she thought Sheldon ate a lot.

"She is a girl and she is a friend. She is not my girlfriend," Sheldon explained without any emotion coloring his tone.

"So, she's available?" Georgie asked with a wink to Amy. Amy looked to Sheldon to try to figure out what to do. Normally she would just say no and move on with it, but this was Sheldon's family.

"No. She's not for you," Sheldon told his brother fiercely.

"Alright, bro. I won't hit on your girlfriend," Georgie said with hands up to signal surrender.

Amy waited for Sheldon clarify again that she was not his girlfriend. Instead Sheldon just nodded his thanks and set back into eating his dinner. Amy was sure that Sheldon thought that he didn't explain again, but a little part of her wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Then she chastised herself for that thought. She didn't stay anywhere long enough for boys, and even if she did, Sheldon Cooper was not her type. He might be intelligent and cute and funny, but he was still a pompous ass. Amy didn't like him. She was sure.

Amy's mother was not even a minute late picking her up after dinner. She also seemed to inspect Sheldon as he effortlessly lifted Amy's bike to put in the trunk of Mrs. Fowler's car, but he must have looked enough like a safe nerd that even Amy's mother couldn't find fault. Amy thanked him for the afternoon, and left.


	3. Chapter 3

That night Amy thought about her afternoon with Sheldon. He was so nice and funny. How had she ever felt like she hated him even a little? Then Amy's eyes went wide as she realized she had a crush on the boy. No. No. No. Amy had a careful plan that she wasn't going to fall for anyone until she was in college when her life was her own. It was going to be when she was happy and free. Not when she was in high school. Not when her parents might very well drag her to another town a month from now.

Still, Amy found herself sketching his bright blue eyes in the corner of her notebook. Then she slammed it shut and decided to call it an early night. She would shake this crush on Sheldon Cooper.

Amy walked into her biology class and automatically slid her chair away from Sheldon's. He wasn't there yet. She always arrived in class before he did. Still, she wanted to be far enough away to not smell the soft baby powder smell he would put off when he did finally show up. He didn't smell like any of those gross body sprays the other boys smelled of. Instead he always just smelled clean. Then Amy pursed her lips and felt frustrated that she noticed another detail about the boy. It was bad enough that she knew he was cute and smart, but now she knew he smelled good too? It was going to be more work than she wished to shake this crush.

"Hello, Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon said cheerfully as he took his normal place next to her.

"Hi," Amy returned coldly, but regretted it immediately. He hadn't done anything wrong. He even called her by her full name after she mentioned it only once. "How was your evening?" She added in a friendlier tone.

"It went well. I finished my homework after you left last night. My mother said you are welcome at our home any time you would like," Sheldon told her. "And I enjoyed our evening, so I also say that you are welcome at my home any time you would like."

"Yeah. Sure," Amy muttered. She realized that she stopped listening to Sheldon because she was focused on his soft looking lips. She had never really wanted to kiss someone before now, but it seemed like a really good idea in that moment. She might have leaned in to kiss him right then, in fact, if the teacher didn't demand all of their attention. She was saved by the bell. Literally.

Amy was in trouble. She knew it, and being mean to Sheldon or ignoring him wasn't an option. She couldn't even say hi to him rudely because he was her friend, and this was her problem. She managed to just focus on class for the most part other than occasionally peeking at Sheldon's hands.

When class was over, Amy was relieved that she wouldn't have to see Sheldon again until lunch. If he wasn't there, she actually didn't think about him all that much. She hadn't lost her mind. It was just a little crush. She did still think of him, but as she anticipated, it was easier without him right there.

When Amy got to lunch she thought about sitting away from Sheldon, but he grinned at her and pat the seat next to him. He was also sitting next to Leonard per Amy's recommendation. For a pretty strong headed guy, he seemed to be happy to take any advice Amy gave him. Amy took the seat next to Sheldon. Then she turned to the guys and tried to engaged them in conversation. It was harder than normal because Sheldon's arm brushed hers from time to time. With each touch, it felt like she was being shocked in the best way possible.

Amy's heart pounded in her chest, but she managed to get through lunch. Maybe this crush thing wouldn't be so bad. She was a strong, independent young woman who could handle her own emotions. She had sixteen years of practice. She wasn't some silly girl.

Over the weekend, Sheldon invited her over to play some Mystic Lords of Ka'a. She almost said no, but she did like Sheldon. He was her best friend after all. She agreed, and they played until Sheldon got angry about Amy winning. It wasn't hurt fault she was a savant at his stupid game, but she still suggested that they get some blankets to go lie on his lawn and read together instead. She still hadn't finished with his copy of _The Hobbit_ , but she did like it more than she ever thought she would. She also finally dug out her copy of _The Canterbury Tales_ to lend to Sheldon.

"You're favorite book?" Sheldon asked.

"Yes. My favorite book."

"I've tried to get that information out of you since I started talking to you."

"You never asked."

"Oh. There is that. Very well. I will read your favorite book, Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon agreed. Then he got comfortable on the blanket next to Amy Farrah Fowler and they quietly read together. Even if Amy wanted to put down her book and kiss Sheldon until it got dark. It was a bit of a shock that she wanted to anything more than read, but there was bound to be a first for everything.

By Tuesday, Amy had seen Sheldon everyday since her crush realization, and time wasn't helping anything. If anything, it felt worse. Now it felt almost painful to look at Sheldon's bright blue eyes and crooked, smart ass grin. She decided that she needed to something else to help her shake this feeling.

By lunch, Amy had a new plan. She decided to ask out someone who she would never really have feelings for. It would be a nice compromise because she would feel like she couldn't have any feelings for Sheldon if she was dating someone else, and she wouldn't fall for anyone else. Not the way she was falling for Sheldon.

"Stuart, what are you doing this weekend?" Amy asked the only member of their small group who didn't have a significant other.

Everyone looked at Sheldon. It was an unspoken agreement that Sheldon had "dibs" on Amy. Not that Howard, Leonard, or Raj were interested anyway. Still, there was a bit of surprise that Sheldon and Amy weren't sort of dating already.

"Stuart?" Amy asked again. She didn't like that they all looked at Sheldon like he had anything to do with it. Was her crush that obvious? How had they all seen it before she had? Just a week ago, Amy would have sworn that she hated Sheldon Cooper.

"Uh. I'm not doing, uh, anything," Stuart stammered.

"Would you like to go to a movie with me?" Amy asked. She tried to twirl her hair on her index finger, but it just got tangled. She had to awkwardly pull her finger from the tangle. Then she smiled at the boy in front of her. She had never once asked a boy on a date. Maybe she was doing it wrong.

"Sure," Stuart answered nervously.

"Great. Here is my number. You should call me so we can make plans," Amy said as she slid over a sheet of paper.

"Super," Stuart told her. Then he got up and left because he didn't want to screw anything up before his date. Amy also left because she couldn't stand the way everyone was looking at her. Maybe this was a mistake, but she couldn't take it back now.

"Are you okay?" Leonard asked Sheldon.

"I'm fine," Sheldon told him.

"I thought you and Amy were, you know," Leonard tried.

"Amy Farrah Fowler and I are nothing more than friends," Sheldon snapped. It was clear that he was angry.

"Alright," Leonard said with his hands up in surrender. "If you like her, maybe you should say something to her," he added quietly.

"I don't like her. I can barely tolerate her. I'm glad that she'll be bothering someone else this weekend," Sheldon said. Then he stormed off too.

"Can I ask you a question about girls?" Leonard asked his girlfriend, Penny, that afternoon when they met up after school.

"Looking to get a new girlfriend?" Penny teased.

"No. I kinda like the one I have. My friend, Sheldon–," Leonard started.

"The tall weirdo from your math team?"

"Right. He has a friend who everyone thought he liked and she liked him back. I mean, she went over to his house the other day. He doesn't invite anyone over. Anyway, she asked out Stuart today."

"Stuart? Interesting choice. Go on."

"Do you think she really likes Stuart?"

"Maybe. I don't know her. You said Amy? Is she new? Mousy with glasses and long, pretty brown hair?"

"Yeah."

"She's in my gym class. Maybe I'll talk to her."

The next day, Penny approached Amy and introduced herself while they were still in the locker room. Amy was just tying her shoes as Penny stepped up.

"Amy, right? I'm Penny. I think you know my boyfriend, Leonard?"

"Yeah. I sit with him at lunch. He's friends with my… Sheldon," Amy said. She cringed because she called Sheldon hers, and she could see that Penny caught it. The crush hadn't eased as of yet. Amy had barely been able to look at Sheldon during both biology and lunch, but it seemed that Sheldon could barely look at her either. Something had fractured between them since she asked Stuart out. She was terrified she ended things between them even if she didn't want things to start either.

"I heard you have a date with Stuart this weekend. He's a nice guy, so that's cool."

"Yeah," Amy muttered sadly. She wished that she could be excited about it like she would be if it was Sheldon. Amy couldn't let herself get too attached to Sheldon though. Some day soon she would have to move again. It was bad enough they were friends. This was why Amy didn't make friends.

Penny and Amy went out to the gym from the locker room. Penny asked Amy to be on her soccer team for the day. It was the first time Amy had been picked first for a team even if she wasn't so bad at sports.

"What are you going to wear on your date?" Penny asked Amy while they got ready to get started playing.

"A sweater probably. Whatever is in my closet."

"No. It's a first date. We should go shopping on Friday. I'll bring my friend, Bernadette, and we'll go to the mall."

Amy wasn't sure why she agreed. Girls who were pretty and popular like Penny weren't usually so nice to Amy. Not if they didn't want anything from her. Still, if Penny was dating Leonard, who was definitely a nerd, she might just be okay.

On Friday before school, Amy reminded her mother that she had plans right after school with Penny—along with Penny's phone number so that Mother could check in with Penny's parents if needed. It seemed that Mother was more excited about this shopping trip and Amy's date that weekend than Amy was. She even gave Amy some extra spending money for the trip to the mall.

After school, Penny drove Amy and Bernadette to the mall. Bernadette was a tiny blonde with glasses who was dating Howard. It seemed that they bonded over dating boys on the math team, and Amy spent a little too long imagining being in the seats next to them as she cheered on Sheldon.

"What are you doing on your big date?" Bernadette's squeaky voice broke through that fog.

"We're going to a movie, and I think dinner. I let him pick," Amy told them. She was starting to get that sick feeling that she got whenever she thought about the date. She liked Stuart, but she'd give anything to go out with Sheldon instead. The crush on him only seemed to get stronger. At least he was talking to her again. He had been updating her on his progress through _The Canterbury Tales_. They spoke about a few of the tales, and Amy loved how often Sheldon blushed at the content. He had even teased her about how she seemed like such a good girl before then.

"Thinking about Stuart?" Bernadette asked when she caught Amy's smile. It was absolutely the smile of a girl thinking about the boy she liked.

"No. I was thinking about Sheldon," Amy admitted without realizing the reason Bernadette asked.

"What's the deal with you and Sheldon?" Penny finally asked.

"He's my best friend. Can you keep a secret?" Amy asked her new friends who both nodded. "I have a little crush on him." Amy swore to keep that to herself, but her new friends seemed nice. Maybe they would have some advice.

Penny bit her tongue so that she wouldn't say "Duh!"

"Why didn't you ask him out then?" Bernadette asked.

"I like him too much."

"I missed the part where that makes sense," Penny said.

"First, it seems entirely possible that asking Sheldon out would not result in a yes. If that happened, things might not work as friends between us. I like him too much to ruin it with my emotions. Second, even if he did want to date me, I might fall in love with him. That would be worse."

"Why would that be worse?"

"I move a lot. I haven't even spent a full school year somewhere since sixth grade. What if I fell in love with him and then I had to move again? I would just hurt us both for no reason."

"So, then you are dating Stuart? Won't that be a problem with him too?"

"I won't love Stuart. He's nice, but not my type. I am hoping to distract myself from Sheldon with Stuart."

"That seems like a dumb idea," Penny told her. "You should ask Sheldon out if he's the one you like. I bet he'd say yes. Leonard said that he thought you guys liked each other."

Amy had no idea what to say about that. She had never known herself to be the subject of gossip, and now she was hearing that Leonard talked to Penny about Sheldon. Did Sheldon like her? Did he say something? Amy was desperate to know.

"Did you hear something about it?" Amy whispered without looking up at them.

"I heard that he stormed off after you asked out Stuart," Penny said.

"Well, I already asked Stuart out," Amy explained. She shrugged and didn't want to think about Sheldon Cooper anymore. Even if Sheldon did like her the way she liked him, it didn't solve her moving problem. Amy was practical above all else. It didn't make sense to fall in love now. Maybe later when she was more sure of her surroundings.

Of course, Amy's plans were challenged again when she saw Sheldon in a store at the mall. Amy grabbed Penny and Bernadette to hide.

"He's with a girl," Penny whispered as she peeked at Sheldon.

"She's pretty," Bernadette noted.

"That's his twin sister. I met her when I went over to their house. She's nice," Amy explained. If she didn't know any better, it did look bad. The girl was so pretty, and she shared Sheldon's bright blue eyes.

"Why are you hiding from me, Amy Farrah Fowler?" Sheldon suddenly asked as he turned his head in their direction. He must have known she was there the whole time because he was still on the other side of the store.

"We weren't hiding. We were just..," Amy started, but didn't have a good excuse.

"Looking at socks," Bernadette finished up lamely.

"Yes," Amy agreed.

"Men's socks?" Sheldon asked. He finally walked over to the girls. He greeted the others by name even though they had never spoken directly before.

"A gift for my father," Amy tried.

"Oh. That's nice. You are so thoughtful, Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon told Amy. He wasn't teasing her at all. She could see that he meant it by the smile he gave her.

Amy blushed as she grinned back up at Sheldon.

"What are you up to this weekend, Sheldon?" Penny asked. These two were so cute together, and Penny didn't understand why they didn't just go out. She wanted to push them together and tell them to kiss like she did with her dolls when she was a child.

"Leonard and the guys invited me to go play paintball on Sunday. I think they felt sorry for me because. No reason. I mean, they probably just think I'm cool and want to hang out," Sheldon replied. He was mortified that he had almost told them that the guys felt sorry for him because he liked Amy and she asked another boy out.

"Oh," Amy muttered. She could see the hurt and embarrassment on his face. She wanted to confess that she liked him, and she thought about a date with him a hundred times more than with Stuart. "That sounds… fun."

"I suspect it will be," Sheldon agreed. The group awkwardly stood there in silence until Sheldon's sister came to drag him away.

"We're here for you to buy me a birthday present, not talk to your girlfriend," Missy complained.

"He's not my boyfriend," Amy muttered sadly after they walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

"Wait. They're twins," Amy said suddenly as she, Penny, and Bernadette were leaving the mall.

"Who are twins?" Bernadette asked.

"Sheldon and Missy. They're twins. She said she was there to for him to buy her a birthday present. That means his birthday must be soon too. Do either of you know when it is?"

Both girls shook their heads. Amy tried to let it go. It must not be a big deal to Sheldon if he didn't even mention it to her. Right?

Still, that night it kept bothering Amy. She called Sheldon's house. She wanted to know when it was. She wouldn't make a scene about Sheldon's birthday, but maybe she would make him a cake.

"Hello, Mrs. Cooper, it's Amy Farrah Fowler," Amy said.

"Hello, Amy, dear. Sheldon is at the library. He'll be back soon, I'm sure. Do you want me to tell him you called?"

"No. That's okay. Um. Maybe you can help me though. I ran into Sheldon at the mall today, and Missy was talking about birthday gifts," Amy started.

"Oh. He is hard to shop for, isn't he? I'm sure he'll love anything you get him, or he'll probably just be glad that you are going to be here at the party."

"The party?"

"Yes. His and Missy's birthday party tomorrow. He told me he invited you."

"Right. Of course. I just forgot what time it started. That's why I called," Amy lied. She grabbed a pen to write down the time for Sheldon's birthday party. It started right at seven-thirty, which was right in the middle of her date with Stuart."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," Amy said.

"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow," Sheldon's mother said before hanging up the phone.

Amy had no idea to do. She didn't even want to go on this stupid date with Stuart. Now she was going to miss Sheldon's birthday party? Why hadn't he said anything sooner? Stupid boys. Still, she made this date with Stuart. She couldn't just cancel on him for Sheldon. It wouldn't be right to get Stuart's hopes up just to let him down in the end.

Amy tossed and turned all night while her mind waged war against her. By morning, Amy still had no idea what was the right course of action. Still, she went out to a store to buy Sheldon a brand new t-shirt for his birthday. She could at least get him a gift even if she couldn't make it to his party. She found one that a big Superman logo on it. It seemed like something he would wear, but by the time Amy got home from shopping, she didn't have time to run the gift over to Sheldon's before her date.

Amy had made a commitment, so she was going on her date with Stuart. That didn't mean she was happy about it. She put on the skirt and blouse she bought while shopping with Penny and Bernadette the next day. Amy had to admit that she looked good in the new outfit. She twirled a little in the mirror to get a good look when there was a knock at her front door. It was Stuart.

Amy's mother was at the door when Amy got down the stairs. Stuart looked nervous, and he was babbling to Amy's mother. If Mrs. Fowler was being honest with herself, she thought that she liked Sheldon better. It seemed like Amy liked Sheldon better too, but this was her daughter's life.

"Bye, Mother. I'll be back before ten," Amy promised.

"Wait. I want to hear about your plans."

"We're just going to a movie, Mother," Amy explained. Then she grabbed Stuart roughly by the arm and pushed him out of her house. She knew where she wanted to be, and it wasn't there and it wasn't with Stuart. She wanted to be with her best friend at his birthday party. Amy thought of the wrapped gift up in her room waiting for Monday when Amy would try to make up missing Sheldon's party. This all would be a lot easier if he would have just said something before Amy made this stupid date.

At the theater, Stuart bought the tickets, so Amy paid for the popcorn even though Stuart kept insisting that he could take care of it. Amy didn't want to owe Stuart anything. Then they found seats together in the theater, and that sinking feeling was getting stronger in Amy's stomach. She thought she might throw up.

"I can't stay," she admitted suddenly as the lights went down.

"It's Sheldon, isn't it?" Stuart asked. He seemed sad, but not bitter. He knew the whole time that something was going on between Amy and Sheldon.

"I'm sorry," was all Amy could say. It seemed that everyone knew that she loved Sheldon. They probably all saw it before she did. Amy kissed Stuart on the cheek and left him alone to watch the movie with his big, lonely bucket of popcorn.

Amy ran all the way home. Mrs. Fowler was shocked when her only daughter burst through the door, only to run up the stairs to get Sheldon's present and then run right back out the door without more than a repeat "I'll be back before ten."

Gasping for breath, Amy knocked on Sheldon's front door. Sheldon's mother answered, and Amy was surprised that there were so many people here. Sheldon wasn't at all popular, so she couldn't believe that there were dozens of people here already.

"Hello, Amy Farrah Fowler. You look… lovely. He's in the basement," Mary told Amy as she pointed the slightly sweaty and winded girl to the door. Amy nodded as she eyed the partygoers who she now realized were here for Sheldon's twin sister. Amy went downstairs to the basement where Sheldon was sitting alone on a couch playing video games. The party hat on his head was so sad that Amy actually laughed to stop herself from crying.

"Hi," Amy said brightly. "Happy Birthday! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Hello, Amy Farrah Fowler. Thank you, and in answer to your question, I knew you were busy," he explained.

"You are so silly. Why didn't you invite the guys? They would have come. I doubt they get invited to a lot of parties even if Leonard and Howard have girlfriends who are way too pretty for either of them."

Sheldon just shrugged. He always hated his birthday because no one he ever invited came to his party. He had given up on trying to really participate.

"Let's call them!" Amy offered.

"It's okay," Sheldon told her.

"No, it's not, silly." Amy pushed her gift at Sheldon. She smiled while he opened it. He said he loved it, but Amy still didn't expect it when he pulled off the t-shirt he was already wearing in favor of the new one. It took all of the strength Amy had to no reach out and touch his stomach when he was standing shirtless in front of her.

"Oh," Amy squeaked as she put her hand over her mouth.

"Are you okay, Amy Farrah Fowler?"

"More than fine. It fits?" Amy asked.

"Like a glove," Sheldon told her.

"Let's go get the numbers for the math team. I'll call Penny," Amy told Sheldon once she got her head back on straight. She had it bad for Sheldon, and she didn't know what to do. For now she was going to make his birthday okay.

Sheldon nodded and they went upstairs to invite all of the guys and their girlfriends over for Sheldon's birthday party. As Amy suspected, none of them had plans for the night except for Leonard and Penny who decided they could drop their previously planned dinner to come to Sheldon's party.

Raj even stopped somewhere to get Sheldon a book as a present on his way over. Sheldon kind of liked the idea of having friends. Even if Raj then immediately dropped them to hang out with Lincoln who was already there for Missy's party.

"Well, I can't compete with his boyfriend," Sheldon joked as he led Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, and Amy back downstairs to the basement. He thought that he could probably get a big game of Mystic Warlords of Ka'a started or even a short campaign of Dungeons and Dragons going if he had that many people over.

"We don't call them boyfriends," Leonard pointed out.

"Why not? They are clearly interested in each other," Sheldon wondered out loud.

"Because Raj is scared. He told me that Lincoln invited him to prom though, so he's going to need to decide what he wants to do soon enough," Penny explained.

The group sat around the table in the basement where Sheldon was playing dragon master to them all, including the three very bored looking girls.

"Hey, Shelly. How are things going down here?" Sheldon's mother asked when she went to check on him and Amy a little later. She didn't want to constantly check on them, but she also didn't want to leave her son alone with a girl who might or might not be his girlfriend for too long. She was shocked to see the larger group who were still setting up their character sheets for D&D.

"Things are good, Mom," Sheldon told her. He silently pled with her to not make a big deal out of the group surrounding him. None of his other birthday parties had ever had this many people at it.

"You kids know that there's plenty of food upstairs, right? That's not just for Missy's friends, but Shelly's too. Plus we are going to have cake soon. I'll come back to get y'all for that," Mary told the group.

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," Amy said for the group.

"No problem. Y'all have fun," Mary told them. Then she left them alone, but couldn't help but smile to herself. Her Shelly had friends.

The group had more fun with the game once it actually started, and Sheldon offered to set up a bigger campaign for them to do next time. The girls weren't sure they were up for that, but Leonard agreed immediately. Sheldon decided that he liked Leonard. He was glad that Amy had pushed for him to call everyone.

"What happened with your date with Stuart?" Sheldon finally asked after everyone else left and Amy stayed to help him clean up the soda cans and paper plates that now littered the basement.

"Oh. That. I just realized I wanted to be somewhere else. Someone else was more important," Amy muttered vaguely with a dismissive wave of her hand. Sheldon heard what she wasn't saying though. She wanted to be here. With him. Because he was more important.

Sheldon set down the plates he stacked together and walked over to Amy Farrah Fowler. She swallowed hard as she peered back up at him. He was so tall. Then he started to bend toward Amy. Amy's eyes closed automatically when their lips met.

"Sorry. I should have asked," Sheldon started to say as he pulled away. Such an uncharacteristic small amount of thought went into kissing Amy Farrah Fowler that Sheldon felt exposed now that he had done it. He opened his mouth to keep explaining when Amy put her hand on the back of Sheldon's neck to pull him close. From there she started kissing him. All apologies then went forgotten.

Amy was in a daze as she walked home from Sheldon's. He was her boyfriend. Sheldon Cooper, boy genius, was her boyfriend. After they kissed, Sheldon sat Amy down on the couch where they talked until Amy had to go home. It was so comfortable even if Amy couldn't stop smiling because she had just had her first kiss ever.

"Amy Farrah Fowler, will you be my girlfriend?" Sheldon asked seriously after she stood.

"Yes, Sheldon Cooper. I would love that," Amy assured him.

"Great. I'll get you the paperwork soon," Sheldon told her. Amy didn't get that joke, but she gave him a toothy smile all the same. Then he kissed her once more before walking her out of his house.

Amy couldn't stop smiling while she walked through her front door.

"Amy, sweetheart," Amy's mother called. Because Amy was in her head, she almost didn't hear her mother. She only noticed that her parents were waiting for her as she grabbed a snack. She beamed at them.

"Amy Farrah, we have something to talk to you about," Amy's mother said.

"What's up?" Amy asked with a happy sigh.

"We have good news! We are moving again. We both know that you haven't loved Texas. Dad has been given an opportunity to move us to California, and we are taking it. We hope that it will be somewhere you can have a great senior year. A fresh start, right?"

Amy just stared at both of her parents blankly. They were moving her? Again? When she had friends and a boyfriend. She was in love with Sheldon Cooper, and they were going to take her away from him. Yeah, she didn't love Texas exactly, but she did love the people here. This wasn't fair. She clenched her fists, but tried not to scream.

"When?" Amy croaked. She was blinking back tears even though she hadn't been bothered by a move in years. Moving is what she did. It's why she didn't even try to make friends. This time her parents had told her that she was going to stay here until she graduated. She felt so stupid for believing them and forming attachments. Instead, it was just like all of the other places. How long had they even been there? Four months, if she could remember correctly.

"At the end of the school year. Then we'll go to California. You'll go to the beach and get sun. It'll be great!" Amy's mother explained.

"Yeah. It'll be great," Amy agreed, but her heart wasn't in it. "I guess I have time to say goodbye to Sheldon. I mean, I love him, but this will be okay." Then Amy ran up the stairs to her room.

Amy's mother was alarmed, so she followed her daughter up the stairs. She knocked on Amy's door. "Amy Farrah, are you okay?"

"Yes, Mother. I am fine," Amy cried.

Amy's mother still opened the door and saw Amy lying on her bed with her pillow in her arms. Mrs. Fowler walked over to Amy and started stroking her hair.

"You're in love with Sheldon?"

"Of course not. I'm being a little melodramatic. I have a little crush on him," Amy swore. She knew it her heart that she did love Sheldon, but she was always the good girl when it came to moves. She hadn't shed a tear over a move since she was eight. She was a little upset, but she would get through this.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I'm just being a teenager," Amy promised. Amy never lied to her parents, so she was surprised that she managed to sell this one. Then again, it might be what Amy's mother wanted to hear.

"You're going to love California, and I promise you'll get to spend your whole senior year in one place. It'll be great," Amy's mother told her.

"Right," Amy agreed. She gave her mother a smile that didn't go to her eyes.

Amy spent the whole night tossing and turning. She had no idea how she was going to tell Sheldon that she was going to move again. She didn't want to tell him. She wanted to go to school on Monday and kiss Sheldon again. She wanted to walk around the halls with her hand in his.

By Monday morning, Amy was resolved that she was going to just tell Sheldon the truth. That they still had a few months together, and she still wanted to be his girlfriend. It wasn't like this didn't have an end date anyway. Amy wanted to go to college on the East Coast and Sheldon, ironically, wanted to go to school in California. It wasn't like they were going to get married or anything.

That plan flew out the window when Amy saw Sheldon waiting for her by the bike racks. He kissed her as soon as she finished locking up her bicycle. Amy decided to just let herself feel this for a little while longer. She could tell him tomorrow.

Only, Amy didn't tell him the next day. Or the day after that. Or any time that week. Every time she looked at him, she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Not when Sheldon invited her over to play games after school where he always stole a kiss or two. She really couldn't tell him when his fingers slipped into hers during Biology. She didn't want to burst the bubble of her first love. She wanted to just feel it a little longer.

Amy almost told him when they got in their first fight, but even then she couldn't bring herself to do it. Everyday, she swore she would tell him, but everyday something made her keep it to herself. Maybe she was just lying to herself just as much as she was lying to Sheldon. It was easier to face the day when Sheldon was just her boyfriend, and they were happy. One day, she would tell him, but the longer she kept it to herself, the harder it was to admit the truth.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sheldon, we need your part for the limo," Leonard told him at lunch. The company needed the deposit by the end of the week.

"The limo?" Sheldon asked stupidly.

"For prom? I need your share for you and Amy by the end of the week. Do you have it?"

Sheldon had no idea what Leonard was talking about. Sheldon wasn't going to prom, was he? Did having a girlfriend make that automatic? Without a word, he stood and went to find Amy Farrah Fowler.

Amy was still in line getting her lunch when Sheldon stalked upon her. She startled when he tapped her on her shoulder out of nowhere.

"Are we going to prom?" Sheldon asked frantically.

"Hey, dude, that's not a good way to ask a girl to prom," some kid behind Amy interrupted.

"Yes?" Amy said. It sounded like a question, but she hoped they where. That's why she had gone shopping for a dress with Penny and Bernadette the weekend before. Plus the three of them were planning on getting manicures the next week on the day before prom. Amy had never had a manicure before. She was pretty excited about the whole thing, and the fact that Sheldon had never formally asked her had never crossed her mind. He was her boyfriend. They were supposed to just go, right?

"Oh, God. Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?" Sheldon said before leaving her alone in the line.

"My dress is blue," Amy shouted after him because she didn't know what else to say about their interaction. He didn't say they weren't going, so she hoped their plans were still in place.

Sheldon found the ticket table to buy prom tickets for both himself and Amy. It seemed that buying a pair was less expensive, and he assumed he would get the money back from her later. Then he found a side door that would be less watched and walked out of the high school. He had never in his life ditched school, but he needed the time to prepare. Prom was in a week and a half. His first stop was the church to find his mother.

"Mama," Sheldon shouted when he reached the offices in the back.

"Shelly?" Mary answered. "Are you sick, baby?"

"No, Mama. I have to take Amy Farrah Fowler to the prom. She said her dress is blue. I don't know why she told me that. Why did she tell me her dress color?"

"Calm down, Shelly. We'll get it all figured out," Mary assured him. She knew she should punish him for leaving school in the middle of the day, but in this kind of thing he was much better than either of her other children. She let it go. First, she called the school from her office to excuse him from the rest of the day. Next, she found the pastor to tell him that she was leaving. She made a small list of things they needed to do including finding a tuxedo and going to the flower shop.

"I also need money to pay for the car. My friends have arranged it already, but they want money for Amy Farrah Fowler and me. They implied that I need to pay for Amy as well, but I can talk to her about refunding me when she gives me the money for the prom ticket," Sheldon explained as he looked over the list.

"What friends?" Mary asked. Since Sheldon's birthday only Amy and Leonard had come over to the house.

"Leonard and the other guys from the math team. Amy Farrah Fowler and I sit with them at lunch. I guess they decided the whole car thing. If I had more time, I would be upset that they didn't allow me to do any research on the company," Sheldon explained.

"Alright. Also, you aren't making Amy pay for her ticket or the car. You will be a gentleman and pay for that. And dinner if y'all go to eat too. Daddy and I will help you cover it, but you need to pay," Mary informed him. Maybe her views were old fashioned, but she wanted to raise her boy right.

"Who knew having a girlfriend would be so expensive?" Sheldon commented.

"So, she's your girlfriend now?" Mary asked. She had suspected that they were more than friends, but she hadn't heard about them being boyfriend and girlfriend. She made a mental note to not allow them to be in the basement alone anymore.

"Of course. She has been for a couple months, and I wouldn't be putting myself through all of this if I didn't love her."

Mary pulled the car over to the side of the road immediately.

"You love Amy?" Mary asked.

"I do. I think so, anyway. I've never felt like this before, and she makes me happy. It's more than just kissing and stuff. She's my best friend, but there's more to it," Sheldon tried to explain.

"Kissing and stuff? I'm glad that you have found love. I am. But I know what kids do at prom. You need to protect your heart and your body. Do you know what I am saying?" Mary asked her younger son. She had had talks like this with the other two kids years ago, but it never seemed like it was as urgent with Sheldon. He knew how reproduction worked at a base biological level, and that's all he ever seemed to say he needed to know.

"Not remotely," Sheldon answered honestly.

"You are at that age where your hormones are going wild, but God wants you to wait," Mary tried to explain.

"For what?" Sheldon asked. He was so confused.

"For sex, Sheldon," Mary finally said outright.

"Why on Earth are you talking to me about that?"

"Because you have a girlfriend now, and you might be feeling pressure to be intimate with her on prom night. Obviously I think you should wait, but if you do have sex with Amy you need to be careful. Use protection," Mary started, and then she realized that things might need to be even more spelled out for her younger son. "Use condoms. I will happily kill you if you get that girl pregnant."

"Whoa! I'm not going to have sex with Amy Farrah Fowler. Not just on prom night, but ever. I'm not going to ever have sex with anyone." Sheldon had never been interested in sex. He had never even really thought about it. Not even last week when Amy Farrah Fowler slipped her tongue in his mouth while they were kissing.

Mary didn't believe him in the least, but she let it go. She got her point across to him, so she started the car to go finish all of their prom preparations.

That night, Sheldon was looking at the rented tuxedo, wrapped in plastic and hanging from his closet door. He thought about what his mother said in the car. He really didn't think about sex. Not with Amy and not with anyone else. He never understood the appeal of it, but then again, he hadn't really ever understood the appeal of kissing until he did it. Now sometimes he thought about kissing Amy Farrah Fowler even if she wasn't there to actually kiss. Maybe sex was kind of like that. He needed to try it to know if he liked it or not. He got up from his bed and went down the hall to talk to his older brother.

"Georgie? Can I ask you a question?" Sheldon asked as he poked his head into Georgie's room after knocking. Sheldon had never once gone to his brother with a question or a problem, but for once in his life, Sheldon thought that Georgie might be the best person to ask.

"What is it, nerd?" Georgie asked with a sigh.

"It's personal," Sheldon clarified.

"Okay."

"You've been with girls before, right?"

"What do you mean, 'been with girls'?" Georgie would have known exactly what that meant if it had come from anyone else. Sheldon, not so much.

"Sex," Sheldon clarified.

"Yeah, Shelly. I've been with a couple girls like that." Georgie dropped the joking bravado that he normally used with his kid brother. As much Sheldon annoyed the hell out of him, this sounded serious and Georgie did care about the kid.

"Mama said that people have sex after prom sometimes. I am going to prom with Amy Farrah Fowler. Do you think she will expect intercourse?"

"Kid, don't say 'intercourse.' Also, your nerd girlfriend probably won't expect too much out of you. You're you. But even if she does, you don't have to do anything you aren't ready for, okay? You can tell her that you want to wait. You don't need to be ready," Georgie told Sheldon honestly. Since he was only a couple years older, he knew how guys could be about it. Still, he didn't want his little brother rushing into anything he wasn't ready for.

"I don't know what I want," Sheldon confessed.

Georgie got into his drawer and pulled out a couple of condoms. He handed them over to Sheldon. "I can't help you know if you are ready, but take these. Just in case because Mom would kill you if you knocked up your girl. Now get out."

Sheldon nodded once and left his brother's bedroom. At least he had them if it came up. Sheldon didn't think it would, but one never knew. Amy didn't tell him that she wanted to go to prom. Maybe she didn't tell him that she wanted sex either. Sheldon put it with his sewing kit, money, and other supplies he had gathered for prom.

The next day, Sheldon gave Leonard the required funds for the car. Amy offered to share in the costs as Sheldon suspected she would, but he told her that he was paying. Amy smiled Sheldon's favorite smile at him in return. He thought about asking her about the sex thing, but since he hadn't thought about it until someone else brought it up, he didn't want to put it into her head.


	6. Chapter 6

Amy went to get her nails done with Penny and Bernadette the day before prom, and she was happy to have not only a date to the prom, but also the required friends to do that preparations with beforehand. It seemed that everyone was meeting at Penny's house to get dressed and do their makeup before the guys came to pick them up. Amy's mother said that was okay with her as long as they all stopped by the house before they went on to dinner so she could take pictures. Amy was embarrassed when she explained this requirement to her new friends, but they said it wasn't a problem. Apparently Bernadette's parents wanted the same thing.

"You look so pretty!" Penny told Amy when she showed off her new dress. "Now, let's do some makeup."

"I don't really know how."

"That's okay. We'll help," Penny assured Amy. When Amy sat down, she didn't really know what to expect. Penny painted her face with a number of products, but wouldn't let her look until she was finished. Amy suddenly worried that it was a trick because girls like Penny weren't usually nice to her.

"What do you think?" Penny asked Bernadette.

"I like it. The shadow really brings out her green eyes," Bernadette responded.

"Okay. You can look," Penny promised as she handed Amy a mirror. She was worried that Penny would overdo it, but she didn't. Amy's features were highlighted nicely.

"Thanks, Penny!" Amy said.

"No problem. Now, I need to do some touch ups. Oh, and here is the lipstick you are wearing. If you and Sheldon start making out and you need to fix your lips, it will be nice to have this," Penny added as she handed over a lip color.

"I don't think Sheldon will want to make out," Amy assured Penny, but she put the lipstick in her purse anyway.

"You never know. You do look very pretty. Maybe he won't be able to keep his hands off of you," Bernadette teased with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Don't forget the corsage," Mary reminded Sheldon as they heard the honk from the car waiting to pick him up. Mary straightened his tie and smoothed his hair. "And make sure you take good photos with Mrs. Fowler. She promised me copies. And most importantly have fun." Mary kissed her younger son the cheek.

"I will," Sheldon promised. He picked up the flower in the box and went to get in the car.

The rest of the guys were already in the car when Sheldon went to get in. He was the last stop before going to Penny's to pick up the girls. Then they had to do all of these photos. Sheldon still didn't get what the big deal was with prom, but he loved Amy enough that he would play along.

"All ready get some, Sheldon?" Howard teased.

"Get some what?" Sheldon asked.

"You have lipstick on your cheek," Leonard said as he handed over a tissue. Sheldon wiped at his face and cursed his mother under his breath.

When they pulled up to Penny's, everyone loaded out of the car. Sheldon felt a little nervous now that he was about to see Amy Farrah Fowler. Penny's dad answered the door and invited them all in.

"Wow," Sheldon said when Amy came down the stairs after Penny and Bernadette. All of the girls looked pretty, but he thought Amy was especially so.

"I don't get a wow?" Penny teased Leonard.

"The wow is implied. I always think wow when I see you," he answered.

"Smooth," Penny said as she inspected Leonard. She smoothed his jacket and gave him a kiss.

Amy made her way over to Sheldon. She thought he looked amazing in his tux, so she reached out and touched his chest to make sure he was real. She grinned at her when she touched him. He was definitely real.

"You look very pretty," Sheldon said awkwardly.

"So do you," Amy teased back.

"Thank you," Sheldon said without a hint of irony. Then he presented Amy with the corsage his mother helped him pick out. It was blue and white to match her dress. Sheldon slipped it on Amy's wrist. Then she quickly kissed Sheldon. She didn't want to ruin her lipstick, but she couldn't help herself.

The group took a lot of photos. Then they climbed into the car to go to Bernadette's house to take even more photos. Then again to Amy's where they took even more photos. It was getting a little tedious, and Amy apologized to everyone for her part.

"Moms like photos. We get it," Leonard assured her as they climbed back into the car.

After the nice dinner, they all loaded up to go on to the dance. Neither Amy nor Sheldon had ever been to a school dance before, so they didn't know what to expect. It was just in the high school gym, but Amy was impressed by how much work had gone into decorating it.

"Care to dance?" Sheldon asked immediately while everyone else was still just looking around. It was a dance, and he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to be doing here.

"Sure," Amy said as she took Sheldon's hand.

They went out to dance for a while. Amy was surprised by how light on his feet Sheldon was. She giggled the first time he dipped her or twirled her. They weren't dancing at all like the others, who were all fast dancing instead of waltzing, but it was still fun.

That was until Amy started to twirl and she heard a rip.

"My dress," Amy complained as she felt the cool air suddenly hit a spot on her back. She had been having too much fun to realize that someone had been standing on her dress when she started to spin. As if they didn't stop dancing, Sheldon ushered Amy off the dance floor and out into the hall. Then he found an empty classroom to take her into.

"Should we go?" Amy asked Sheldon. She was embarrassed about the split on the back of her dress as she held it closed with her hands.

Sheldon moved Amy's hands and inspected her dress. "I can repair this. Please remove your dress," he said bluntly.

"What?"

"I can repair your dress if you remove it," Sheldon repeated. Then he turned his back to Amy while he shrugged off his tuxedo jacket. He handed it back without peeking at Amy in only her under garments. When Amy had the jacket pulled tight around her, she told Sheldon he could look.

He picked up her dress, and then started getting into his supplies from his pocket. A few things fell out while he tried to retrieve his sewing kit.

"Condoms?" Amy asked when she picked them up. "I'm not. I mean. I love you, but I'm not ready," Amy stammered.

"You love me?" Sheldon asked in shock. "I love you, too." Then he pulled Amy in for a hug, which Amy was struggling to process. She was barely dressed and had her boyfriend's condoms in her hand.

"I'm not ready," she repeated when he let go of her. She held the condoms up to show him, and hoped that he wouldn't be angry. He took them back from her and shoved them back in his pocket.

"Those? I'm not ready either. My brother gave me those in case we engaged in coitus on prom night per tradition. But even he said we shouldn't unless we were both ready."

Amy nodded. She felt better that he didn't seem to have any expectations about it. She sat down to watch Sheldon mend her dress.

"Hey, kids. Back to the gym," Mr. Avery, the principal said as he opened the door. He realized that Amy wasn't dressed, and he was about offer them both suspensions for engaging in sexual activity on school grounds. Amy screamed and pulled Sheldon's jacket even tighter around her even though it already covered her to her knees already.

"Cooper? What are you doing?" Mr. Avery asked. Sheldon didn't seem like the kind of kid who would sneak off for something like this.

"I ripped Miss Fowler's dress while we were dancing, so we came in here to fix it," Sheldon explained without looking up from his project. He just added another stitch to the tear.

"Five minutes, Cooper," Mr. Avery told them before leaving them alone. Only a kid like Cooper would sneak off to fix his date's dress. They didn't seem to be up to anything, and he felt a little uncomfortable being a room with an underdressed teenage girl.

Amy watched as Sheldon carefully sewed up the tear in her dress with his sewing kit. Once he finished he handed Amy back her dress and turned so that she could get dressed.

"I can mend it properly if I use my mama's sewing machine, but this will get you through the rest of the night," Sheldon promised as he inspected his work on Amy.

"Thanks, Sheldon."

"I'm always prepared," he told her proudly. Amy thought of the condoms in his pocket when he said that. She supposed it was good that he was ready for the possibility even if they had never even spoken of it. She eyed him as he held the door for her, and thought it wasn't the worst idea in the world.

They went straight back to the gym, and Sheldon even gave Mr. Avery a wave to show that they had returned, both fully dress in less than five minutes. Sheldon took Amy right back to the dance floor near where Leonard and Penny were dancing.

"We're going to a party in, like, fifteen minutes," Penny told them after they arrived.

Amy was nervous because she had never been to a high school party. She had only seen them in movies, and it seemed like a lot alcohol drinking. Still, she joined the group as they all climbed back in the car together. Penny gave the driver the address, and they were off.

The party was actually… boring. It was just a bunch of people talking. A few people were dancing in the backyard. There was plenty of alcohol, but Sheldon just grabbed himself and Amy sealed cans of Coke from a cooler. Then they sat down to talk.

It was a little too loud to really talk, and Amy was tired of leaning over to say "What?"

"Can we go find somewhere a little more quiet to talk?" Amy finally asked. They looked outside, but people were either smoking or playing music everywhere. Sheldon eyed the upstairs and started up there. It was more quiet, and they thought about just sitting in the hallway. But a couple just left a bedroom together as Sheldon and Amy got up there. They looked at each other wordlessly and decided to just go in instead.

It looked like the room belonged to the host's parents. Amy felt a little strange being in a stranger's room, but she went to sit on the bed all the same. She was really careful not to touch anything else.

Sheldon didn't want to sit, so he stood while he talked to Amy at first, but eventually she urged him to join her. When he did, Amy leaned forward to kiss him. It wasn't often that they had this level of privacy, and Amy wanted to take advantage of it. Sheldon leaned into the kiss, and felt himself rather than decided to push Amy onto her back.

"Do you still have those condoms?" Amy asked after she pushed him back.

"You said you weren't ready," Sheldon reminded her.

"I want you to be my first," Amy admitted. She wasn't sure she was ready to sleep with Sheldon, but she was still sure that she wanted it to be him. Heaven knew that she didn't want to do it here on this strange bed, but they were running out of time. Not that Sheldon knew that. Amy still hadn't gotten up the courage to tell him that she was moving in what was now just a couple of weeks.

"We have time," he said into her neck.

"We don't," Amy confessed.

"Don't be melodramatic. We are young and in love. I'll take you to my pop pop's cabin at the end of the summer. We'll be miles from anyone. It'll be nicer than someone else's dirty sheets," Sheldon said as he remembered where he was. He pushed himself off the bed. "I guess I thought about it more than I realized," he admitted to Amy with a smile.

"I won't be in Texas by the end of the summer," Amy finally told him.

"I can work around your schedule. The only time anyone is out there is the Fourth of July. We can have it anytime."

"No. I'm moving as soon as the school year is out. We only have two weeks left together. I love you Sheldon. I think we should do this. I want it to be you."

Sheldon just shook his head. In his mind, this didn't add any urgency to the sex situation, but he couldn't understand how she hadn't told him that she was moving.

"How long?" Sheldon choked out.

"Two weeks," Amy said.

"You've known for two weeks, and you didn't tell me? Why?" Sheldon growled.

"No. I move in two weeks. I… I've known that I'm moving for three months," Amy confessed with a sob.

"That's the whole time you've been my girlfriend," Sheldon shouted.

"I found out the night of your birthday. I wanted to call you that night. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I liked you—no, I love you. I didn't want to ruin things between us. I wanted you to be my boyfriend. I shouldn't have lied, and I'm so sorry. I just couldn't stand you breaking up with me because I was leaving."

Sheldon didn't say anything. He was furious as he left the room and slammed the door behind him. Then he ran down the stairs and out onto the street. He didn't even know where he was, but he picked a direction and started walking. He walked East for nearly a half hour before he realized that it was the wrong direction and turned around. All in all, it took an hour and a half for him to get home. That was an awful lot of time to think.

Amy went to find Penny to ask for her help getting home. Penny took her to the car and told the driver to take the crying girl home.

"Are you sure you're okay? Was it Sheldon? Did he do something to you?" Penny asked.

"I'll be fine, and Sheldon didn't do anything to me. I hurt him. I don't even know where he went. I think he went home," Amy said.

"Call me tomorrow, okay?" Penny asked as she closed the door on the limo.

"I will," Amy promised. Then the driver took her home. Mother was waiting up for her.

"Did that boy hurt you?" Amy's mother asked when she saw Amy in tears as she walked in. She worried that sweet seeming Sheldon might have done something.

"No. I hurt him. I finally told him about the move. After we told each other that we love each other," Amy sobbed.

"This is the second time you've told me that you love him. The last time you played it off like you were being dramatic. Do you love this boy, Amy Farrah?"

Amy nodded. She had been holding it all in because she didn't want to make the moving thing harder for her parents. They didn't know she loved the dork from her biology class when they decided to move again. Amy had always been the good girl who went along with whatever her parents wanted. Another move was planned, so she wasn't going to put up a fight.

"Oh, Amy Farrah," Amy's mother cooed as she hugged Amy to her chest.

"It's fine. It's only been a few months. It's better to end things now than wait until we have to go our separate ways for school," Amy conceded.

"Amy Farrah," Amy's mother chastised. "I know that all of these moves have put a lot of stress on you, but I thought I never thought I raised you to keep quiet on your needs."

"I don't need him," Amy lied to herself just as much as her mother. Then she went up to her room, which was where she spent the rest of her weekend. She even thought about asking her mother to call her in sick on Monday, but it was near the end of the school year. Too close to finals to be missing school.


	7. Chapter 7

Amy did go into school on Monday. She was locking up her bicycle when Sheldon's shadow fell upon her. Amy was sure he was still so angry. He hadn't called her once all weekend, but when she stood up straight, he pulled her into his arms.

"Don't lie to me again, but I'm glad that you did. I would have put up a wall if I had known that you and I had a ticking clock. We wouldn't have gone to the zoo on our fourth date where I knew without a doubt that I was falling for you. I wouldn't have learned that I am capable of love," he told her honestly. Before this girl came into his life, he didn't think it was possible. He didn't even think he could want it. Now, he couldn't imagine a life without Amy. It seemed that one was on its way, but he decided to make the most of the time they had left even if she did lie to him.

"You forgive me?"

"Yes," Sheldon said before leaning down to kiss Amy. He would have stayed there kissing her all day, but the first bell rang and he couldn't skip school even to make out with his girlfriend.

"I'm glad you got over your fight or whatever, but can you guys please stop making out. We're trying to eat here," Leonard complained at lunch that day. Amy was practically on Sheldon's lap and they kept saying that they loved each other in between kisses. It was disgusting. Amy would have been thoroughly appalled if she wasn't taking part.

"I love you," Sheldon whispered in Amy's ear after she finally slid away. She picked up her sandwich and took a bite more to stop herself from stealing more kisses than because she was actually hungry.

"Thank you," everyone at the table said in unison.

Sheldon and Amy explained that Amy was moving again. It was the reason for their fight and why they were inseparable now. The group was saddened by the news. Amy was a little weird, but so were the rest of them. They liked her, and they would miss her. Though, not as much as Sheldon would.

Time flew during those last couple weeks. Between finals and trying to get in as much time with Sheldon and her friends, Amy felt like she never had a free moment. The only free time Amy wasn't spending with Sheldon, Amy was going shopping with Penny and Bernadette or sleeping at one of their houses. She knew she wouldn't find friends like this again. Even if her parents were going to stay put in California for her whole senior year, she didn't see a point in making new friends that she wouldn't see again after graduation.

Sheldon walked Amy home from school on one of their last days together. He stole every moment he could get with her even if he knew it would just hurt all the worse when they finally did separate. Still, Sheldon was making plans to visit his favorite schools in California. He'd find a way to see Amy Farrah Fowler again. They'd make this work.

Amy was only going to stop at home to gather some supplies for one last sleepover at Penny's with her and Bernadette. Then Sheldon was going to walk Amy there.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Cooper," Amy's mother said when the pair walked into the house together. She wasn't at all surprised that he was there. It seemed that her daughter was attached at the hip with this boy. If Amy wasn't still getting very good grades and splitting her time with her other friends, it might have been a problem. However, Sheldon seemed like a good boy. Amy's mother supposed things could be worse.

"Hello, Mrs. Fowler."

"I need to speak to my daughter alone, but there's some fresh lemonade and cookies in the kitchen if you want a snack. Help yourself," Mrs. Fowler told Sheldon as she pointed toward the kitchen. Mrs. Fowler knew that that boy would always appreciate a snack.

Sheldon nodded and walked into the kitchen. He knew his way around the kitchen enough to help himself to the food offered. Then he sat down at the kitchen table and started demolishing the small pile of cookies waiting for him.

"I didn't want to say anything in case this didn't work out, but Dad and I got the news today. We have a surprise for you. Dad is going to work in California for the next six months until he can come back here to Texas. You and I are staying here the whole time. You get to spend your summer and senior year here with your friends!"

"What? Dad's just going to go by himself? But what about you? You can't want to spend all that time without Dad?" Amy asked. She couldn't believe it. Maybe this was a dream.

"Amy Farrah, Dad and I are the adults here. It isn't up to you to worry about what we want. We talked about it, and you have really bloomed here, and we've wanted to give you this kind of stability for a long time. Once you are off to college, we'll start moving again, but you can feel safe that we will not move you again. And this isn't just about the young Mr. Cooper waiting for you in the kitchen. Dad and I expect you to be engaged with school. Not just going to classes. Perhaps you can join a club or go out for a play. Keep spending time with Penny and Bernadette. I like those girls."

"Okay!"Amy agreed.

"You and I are going with Dad for two weeks to help him settle in. Then when I go to visit, you will either need to find a friend to stay with—not Sheldon—or you will have to come with me."

"Of course. I'll miss Dad."

"We can talk details later. I suspect that you are itching to tell Sheldon. Then go pack for your night at Penny's. Tell them too. Have fun!"

"I love you, Mother," Amy wrapped her mother in a tight hug. She still almost didn't think that this was real. She was going to get to stay with her friends. She wasn't going to have to say goodbye to Sheldon. She wondered for just a moment if he still had access to his grandfather's cabin at the end of the summer. The end of the summer when she would still be in Texas.

Amy ran into the kitchen where Sheldon was still sitting at the kitchen table. Just a pile of crumbs and an empty glass in front of him. He brightened when Amy walked in. He could tell she was very happy about something. He stood to walk over to her.

"I'm staying. My parents worked it out. I can unpack my boxes because I'm staying."

Sheldon reached down and pulled Amy's face into his hands. He tilted her face up and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that he hoped would say all the words he couldn't think of in the moment. For once in his life, Sheldon Cooper was speechless.


	8. Chapter 8

Since Amy's mom was gone at least once weekend a month, Amy was supplied with one used Toyota to get around with instead of her trusty bicycle. This came in particularly handy as she loaded her overnight bag into the trunk. Amy's mother thought Amy was going to Bernadette's for the weekend. Amy was not actually going to Bernadette's for the weekend.

Amy hated lying to her mother, but there was no way that Amy's mother would approve if she knew where she was really going. She was going to pick up Sheldon and they were going to drive out to Sheldon's grandfather's cabin just like he first suggested before school even ended. Amy drove to Leonard's house where Sheldon's mom thought he was staying for the weekend. Instead, Sheldon was waiting on the curb with his bag.

"Hello, Amy Farrah Fowler," Sheldon greeted her when he climbed into the passenger seat of her car. He leaned over to kiss her as well.

"Hi," Amy muttered meekly. She was nervous and even Sheldon could see it.

"We don't have to do this," Sheldon reminded her.

"I want to. I'm glad that we waited, but I'm ready now." Sheldon and Amy had been tempted to have sex several times during the summer, but none of them had worked out. Amy was glad that they were going to go somewhere with some privacy and quiet. Especially since they were almost busted making out in her car just the week before.

Sheldon nodded in agreement. Then he started giving Amy directions to his grandfather's cabin. It was about an hour's drive, but they talked and played games the whole way. Sheldon loved that he got some much enjoyment just being with Amy.

Sheldon grabbed both of their bags to take them into the cabin. When he let Amy go into the cabin first, she noticed the rose petals on the floor leading to one of the bedrooms.

"Georgie drove me up yesterday to air it out and change the sheets. He suggested the rose petals. Sorry if it's cheesy."

"I love it."

"Oh thank God. It was my idea. I just got nervous that you would hate it. There are candles in the room too—they aren't lit. I'm not stupid. I wanted to make it special for you. For both of us," Sheldon admitted.

"I really love it," Amy said again honestly.

Sheldon rushed over to put the bags in the room. He tried not to look at the double bed because the nerves were starting to get to him too. Instead, he just closed the door and joined Amy in the main living space. He wasn't sure what to do next. They had food to make dinner, but it seemed early for that.

"Want to go for a walk?" Amy suggested.

"No."

"Want to play Mystic Lords of Ka'a?"

"Not really."

Amy looked over to the couch in the living room. A smirk fell across her lips.

"Want to make out?"

Sheldon nodded and led Amy to the couch. She laughed when he pushed her down. He knew he had all weekend with her, so he should slow down. But there were plenty of reasons to think that they wouldn't get here. Now that they were, it was hard not to just rush forward. Plus, Amy didn't seem to mind it when her hands slid under the Superman t-shirt Sheldon was wearing to push it up and remove it.


End file.
